


Game Night

by linguistic_lemon



Category: Settlers of Catan (Board Game)
Genre: Board Games, Catan, F/M, Sheep
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 03:18:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15699072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/linguistic_lemon/pseuds/linguistic_lemon
Summary: Every week, Affe and Kani play the board game Catan together late into the night. An unexpected development leads them reconsider both their relationship with each other, and Catan itself.





	Game Night

Affe and Kaninchen, or Kani for short, sat across the kitchen table from one another, staring at the untouched island of Catan. Affe had set the game up with care, placing each hex and number tile gently in their proper places. Kani had watched quietly, already starting to analyze the board to choose the best spot. It was late at night, and both players moved with lethargy, their eyes dragging to look at different parts of the board. Despite their exhaustion, though, they knew exactly what to do.

Just a year ago, Kani and Affe had been amateur players who hadn't even known the five resources. They started to play Catan the summer before, meeting each other at a tabletop gaming convention where they both fell in love with Catan. They were awful at the game, but each loved the steady patience that it required and the thrill of that tenth victory point. They continued finding groups to play Catan even after the convention, and ran into each other often as they recruited others to play. 

Though they started out as mediocre players, over the course of the year both Affe and Kani improved vastly. Affe had patience issues, rushing to build roads and buy dev cards. From Kani, he learned to wait and watch the other players' strategies to figure out what he should do. Kani herself had issues speaking up to defend herself. When the other players targeted her by robbing her and blocking her resources, she stayed silent as she tried to calculate a way to win even while being targeted. Eventually, though, she took Affe's example in speaking up to subdue the more aggressive players. Together, they grew to become competent and thoughtful players. All the while, their friendship grew as well.

Back to the kitchen table, where Affe set up the board and Kani watched him intently. It was their sixth game of Catan that night, so late that neither wanted to check the time. But here they were, setting up yet another game. Although Kani's eyelids drooped with exhaustion, she was determined to win. Affe had won three of the five games so far, and she wasn't about to end the night without at least a tie. These late-night Catan marathons had become a weekly ritual for the pair of friends ever since they created their own version of two-player Catan.

Affe rubbed his tired eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall: 4:29 AM. He sighed and looked back at Kani as she placed her first settlement (6 sheep, 8 wood, 5 ore) on the board. 

"It's getting late, Kani," he said tiredly. 

"Yes, yes, I know. But look at that first placement! I'm getting good vibes from this set-up, Affe, I can't just abandon it," Kani replied. 

Affe rolled his eyes, but secretly his heart warmed. Personally he would've quit two games ago, but Kani's quiet passion kept him playing. It was this persistence that made Affe love to play Catan with Kani. No matter how many games they played or how tired Affe became, Kani would always beg to keep going. He realized that he never would've become the Catan player he was today without her.

Affe felt a nudge on his arm, and he focused on Kani looking at him. "Your turn," she said, her hand still on his shirt sleeve. He looked at her smooth black hair, the dark circles under her eyes that betrayed her tiredness. She really is beautiful, he thought to himself. His gaze lost focus as he thought about Kani. She'd always do this, touch his arm lightly when it was his turn to play. As if she knew he needed a touch to bring him back when he lost his concentration. It wasn't until tonight that Affe realized how much he loved this touch. 

"Thank you, Kani," Affe said, still deep in thought. 

Kani stared at the board, and mumbled, "Thank you for what? You haven't even played yet." 

Affe was silent, though, and when Kani looked up, she saw that he had fallen asleep. 

Kani yawned at the sight, and contemplated whether or not she should wake Affe up. The game was already set up, after all, and she didn't want to waste all the thought she had put into it. But when she reached over to nudge Affe on his arm, she saw how peaceful he looked. She stopped and laid her hand down on the table. Affe's head was tilted down to one side, and his mouth was open just slightly. Every once in a while, he would sigh as he breathed out. His arms were limply crossed in front of his chest.

Watching Affe sleep drew the tension out of Kani's shoulders. She leaned further back into her chair, away from the table, and set her gaze on her friend. She surprised herself by smiling as she looked at him. Kani thought of herself as a logical person, preferring to reason out her problems instead of following emotion. She enjoyed playing Catan, and that led to her friendship with Affe, simple as that. She had never really thought much of their friendship outside of Catan. But as she looked at Affe, she realized that she truly enjoyed being around him. His sleeping form set her at ease, her mind suddenly quiet. Before she knew it, Kani's already-tired eyes had closed into sleep as well.

The friends slept soundly across from each other, the island of Catan mostly untouched between them.

\---

A few hours later, Affe and Kani woke up across from each other. Affe yawned loudly and stretched, eyes still closed. He felt surprisingly well-rested for having fallen asleep at the kitchen table. His neck wasn't sore, and the ground beneath him felt soft. He opened his eyes, but what he saw before him wasn't a board game nor anything you'd find in a kitchen. It was miles of grassland, with what looked like an ocean beyond.

"What the hell…" Affe trailed off as he squinted through the bright sun. Kani, who lay on the grass in front of him, stirred at the sound of his voice. She sat up, then looked blankly at the scene beyond. She picked a few blades of grass and let them fall through her fingers. Suddenly, her mouth dropped and she looked at Affe. 

"Wait, this is real?" She gasped. Affe held her gaze and slowly nodded. A gust of salty, humid air blew past them, tossing Kani's hair over her shoulder. They heard sheep bleating in the distance. 

Affe stood up, and turned around in a circle. On one side, there was the ocean. On another side, more grassland. Further off, a forest. Opposite of the ocean seemed to be a rocky valley. Besides themselves and the few sheep, there was no one else in view. 

Affe turned to look at Kani, who had stood up as well. Both had shocked expressions on their faces. They had both come to the same conclusion at the same time.

"We're on the island of Catan," they said together.

(To be continued...)


End file.
